Required duration of stay at Mina to meet obligation of spending night there

24-8-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Last year, I performed the obligatory Hajj. On the first day of Tashreeq, we left Mina between 12:30 and 1:00 A.M. in order to perform Tawaaf al-Ifadhah and the Sa‘y (going back and forth between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah) of Hajj. We spent the rest of the night at our dwelling in Makkah. The next day, we returned to Mina once again. The time of Maghrib was at 5:38 P.M. and Fajr was at 5:18 A.M., as I remember. What is your opinion? Is there anything due on us?
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

According to many of the scholars, for one to meet the obligation of spending the night at Mina, he should spend the greater part of the night there. Being so, if you left Mina after midnight, nothing is due on you. You could know that by counting the duration between sunset and the break of dawn, and when half this duration has elapsed, that is midnight. However, if you left Mina before midnight, then, according to the sounder opinion in the sight of Shaafi‘i scholars, you have done wrong and it is due on each one of you to give a mudd (0.75 liter) of foodstuff in charity. According to the opinion reported from Imam Ahmad may Allaah have mercy upon him you can also give an unidentified quantity of food.

Allaah Knows best.

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